Chosen

In the April issue of Commentary, a scholar dared to raise one of the few remaining issues still considered impolite these days for public discussion: Jewish intelligence.

In an essay entitled "Jewish Genius," political scientist and writer Charles Murray -- who is not Jewish -- outlines the historical and statistical data suggesting Jewish intellectual acumen and accomplishment, as well as a variety of theories seeking to explain them.

While most of us Jews will readily admit that we personally know many members of the tribe who are not very smart at all, Dr. Murray insists that "the average Jew is at the 75th percentile" of the IQ scale and that "the proportion of Jews with IQs of 140 or higher is somewhere around six times the proportion of everyone else." Some, moreover, have noticed that a number of world-changing ideas, both religious ones like monotheism and scientific ones like relativity, have their roots in a certain ethnicity.

After exploring a number of theories addressing the anomaly, Dr. Murray is less than satisfied. Recent historical circumstances might have genetically favored Jews of higher intellect, he allows; but he suspects that Jewish intellectual ability is ancient, that the Jews may "have had some degree of unusual verbal skills going back to the time of Moses." And so, he writes, he remains "naked before the evolutionary psychologists' ultimate challenge: Why should one particular tribe at the time of Moses, living in the same environment as other nomadic and agricultural peoples of the Middle East, have already evolved elevated intelligence when the others did not?"

Then, tongue -- at least partially -- in cheek, he concludes:

"At this point, I take sanctuary in my remaining hypothesis, uniquely parsimonious and happily irrefutable. The Jews are God's chosen people."

Well, the thought is certainly timely. We will soon be celebrating Shavuot, the Jewish holiday that commemorates the cementing of the Jewish people's chosen status: the covenant forged at Sinai.

I don't know, or much care, whether or not intelligence plays any role in the Jewish election. But if it does, it is peripheral to the essence of our chosenness.

Because what Jews are chosen for is to serve the Creator -- with our intellects, yes, but also with our hearts and with our bodies.

To be sure, the Torah itself refers to the Jewish people as "a wise nation" -- but also as a stubborn one, and sometimes even worse. The bottom line: It's not our Intelligence Quotients that count but our Righteousness Quotients. What counts is the service, not the smarts. The Sages of the Talmud did not generally stress inherent abilities -- mental or otherwise -- but rather focused on how we utilize whatever blessings we have. Their greatest honorifics customarily ran not to words like "genius" or brilliant" but to ones like "righteous" and "God fearing."

Even though the Jews' election was merited through the dedication of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and through another choice -- that of their descendants, at Sinai, to accept the laws and teachings of the Torah; and even though the exclusive Jewish club is open to any sincere convert willing to undertake to observe the Torah, the idea of Jewish chosenness has perturbed some non-Jews since, well, since Sinai.

Of late, though, anti-Semites tend to feed at other troughs of hate-fodder, like Israel's existence (and its imagined evildoing). These days, ironically, the idea of the Jewish people as divinely chosen is more likely to disturb... Jews.

That is because the truism that every human being has limitless value and potential has morphed into the notion that all people are interchangeable, if not identical. To suggest that different individuals or groups may have different functions or responsibilities has become uncouth, if not sexist or racist. Judaism, however, unapologetically assigns roles -- to men and to women; to scholars and to laypeople; to descendants of the Biblical Aaron and to the rest of the Jewish people. And to the Jewish people qua people, too.

There's no escaping it. A blessing all Jews are enjoined to pronounce each morning states the fact clearly: "Blessed are You... Who chose us from among all the nations and gave us His Torah..."

While history is littered with the deaths and destruction sown by self-proclaimed Ubermenschen, Jewish specialness is not a license but a gift; and its sole import is a responsibility to live lives of holiness and thereby inspire others -- to be the proverbial light unto the nations.

While some have the custom to spend the entire first night of Shavuot (and others, both nights) studying Torah, there is no Shavuot cognate-commandment to Passover's seder or Sukkot's huts. Shavuot is a time, it would seem, for turning inward and focusing on the giving of the Torah and how it defines who we are as Jews. A time to realize that our essence lies not in our talents and not in our intelligence, but in our mission.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 16

(15)
Feigele,
January 31, 2010 10:10 AM

Wisdom or Smartness!
Maybe that would explain the saying: "Goyishe kopf"!

(14)
MIchael,
January 31, 2010 10:09 AM

Very interesting and well written. Thank you for your insight.
Very interesting and well written. Thank you for your insight.

(13)
emil mihaylov,
January 31, 2010 10:09 AM

Very good

(12)
Anonymous,
July 11, 2007 9:05 AM

agreed!!!

BS"D

"A time to realize that our essence lies not in our talents and not in our intelligence, but in our mission."

Amen v'amen! REPAIR THE WORLD. Do not permit evil to thrive in your sphere of influence. Choose life and live. These are unique to Judaism. We should live as Jews, regardless of our class, station, or mode of religious expression. If a Jew is a genius, that genius should be employed in living as a Jew. Everything else follows from that.

Ady,
January 13, 2013 3:38 AM

Well spoken / written

Very well spoken / written and l couldn't agree more with you

(11)
Anonymous,
May 25, 2007 10:39 PM

not natural selection at all.

to quote Dave Berg, of blessed memory, from his book _My Friend G-d_, -"As theorized by Ernest Van den Haag in his _Jewish Mystique_ -- while Christian Europe were sending their brightest minds to the priesthood -- and celibacy, ending the inheritance, the Jewish brightest minds became Rabbis and husbands, producing large families, and passing on the inheritance. To build on Professor Van den Haag's theory, we might add, while non-Jewish European males were proving their masculinity in mortal combat, and increasing the mortality rate of their fittest -- Jews were proving their masculinity by keeping just one woman sexually happy. No, Jews are not smarter than anyone else, they just won by default. Jews don't produce more geniuses, other groups simply produces LESS, through their own lack of foresight."

(10)
Marc Milton-Talbot,
May 24, 2007 6:05 AM

Natural Selection!

Maybe it's because you guys have had it so tough through history,that only the smartest survived to pass on their genes.A Darwinian view!Anathema on a religious website I suppose.

(9)
Dvirah,
May 21, 2007 4:00 PM

Creative Evolution

Actually, one can "explain" Jewish intelligence by "evolution" in this way: the most revered profession in Judaism is the Torah scholar. Thus, scholars were - and are today - prefered mates. To be a scholar one needs some minimum intelligence. So, the intelligence genes get passed from generation to generation and in each generation are more concentrated, so intelligence becomes a dominant trait for Jews. After all, what can be more intelligent than recognizing the part played by HaShem in our lives?

(8)
fifi smith,
May 21, 2007 7:01 AM

Remembering "our" mission is focusing on the One

To remember one's mission is to beactively aggressive against the forcesthat attempt to nullify our existence."Hear", "Believe", "Decree", "Declare"is all contained in "prayer".

(7)
Simon,
May 21, 2007 4:38 AM

There are no riches as to be a true Jew, set apart for a purpose.

"A time to realize that our essence lies not in our talents and not in our intelligence, but in our mission."

Walking with God by Obeying His will and allowing Him to transform us and use us for what we are for. A copper wire made live with current can light a bulb otherwise we remain simply a copper wire.

(6)
sharon,
May 21, 2007 2:09 AM

fantastic

This was just what I needed to read at this time. Thank you for reminding me why we are G-d's chosen.

(5)
ELCHANAN OF CROWN HEIGHTS,
May 20, 2007 9:30 PM

YASHER KOACH

for the timely words of inspiration

(4)
Robert Tanne,
May 20, 2007 5:24 PM

What are we chosen for?

I believe that one of the goals of the jewish people should be to share our history of oppresion and anti-sematism to show the world the evil of racism and blind hatred. We as jews have always been willing to fight for human rights wherever we are. But we should also fight for everyones rights. We should have learned from our history that people need freedom and liberty so they can protest inhumane treatment. I believe that is the light upon the nations. We need to fight for everyones right to not be raped or mistreated by government officials in all countries. We have florished under democracy. I believe we need to fight for everyones freedom and liberty and it may bring us world peace. That is worth fighting for.

(3)
Ben Matti and wife,
May 20, 2007 2:50 PM

Fine example: Hannah Senesh

I have been acquianted with the remarkable life of the WW2 Hungarian martyr Hannah Senesh, who is an example for millions of people. She was, undeniably, highly intelligent and talented. But she is remembered primarily for her courage, her devotion,her truthfulness, her unselfishness, her endurance - all very Jewish virtues, and righteous characteristics.I hope I soon am able to visit Israel again. Have a blessed Shavuot!

(2)
Anonymous,
May 20, 2007 12:00 PM

I believe Barbara may be right in the hypothesis that Torah true homes could be especially apt to yield the full expression of our intelligence potencial. However why should this apply especially for boys? True, most what we call geniuses in the past have been men, but this goes for both in the Jewish and non Jewish world. It doesn't mean men are smarter, but that women generally are focusing most of their energy on building their men (H-shem cursed Eve to be an ezer k'negdo) and are often the master brain behind the scenes.

Moreover, the few recognized female geniuses the world has seen were very often Jewish.

(1)
Barbara Bensoussan,
May 20, 2007 9:04 AM

holiness leads to intelligence

You could make a case that one reason Jews are smart is precisely because of our holiness and adherence to Torah. Even if we are not genetically superior in terms of intelligence, one could argue that our pure family lifestyle favors the full expression of our intelligence potential. I was once a doctoral student in psychology, and there is a lot of evidence to suggest that factors common to Torah homes such as two-parent families, shalom bayis, clear boundaries in terms of tznius and parental authority, and parental involvement in the children's education all contribute to raising children who are psychologically stable and have the best chance of rising to their fullest potential (and this especially true for boys, it seems). Just another spin on "reishis chachmah yiras Hashem. . " -- the beginning of wisdom if fear of G-d.

I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!